Les maîtres du temps (1982)

Director:

René Laloux

Writers:

Stefan Wul (novel)
René Laloux (scenario and adaptation) ...

Release Date:

24 March 1982 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Piel, a 7 or 8 year old boy, is alone on the desert planet Perdide, only survivor of an attack by giant hornets...

Plot Keywords:

Hornet | Planet | Rescue | Young Boy | Alien Planet

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jean Valmont	...	Jaffar (voice)
Michel Elias	...	Silbad (voice)
Frédéric Legros	...	Piel (voice)
Yves-Marie Maurin	...	Matton (voice) (as Yves-Marie)
Monique Thierry	...	Belle (voice)
Sady Rebbot	...	Claude (voice)
Patrick Baujin	...	Jad (voice)
Pierre Tourneur	...	Yula (voice)
Alain Cuny	...	Xul (voice)
Yves Brainville	...	Général (voice)
Michel Barbey	...	Igor (voice)
Jim Bauman	...	Lowry (voice)
Michel Paulin	...	Pixa (voice)
François Chaumette	...	Robot (voice)
Henry Djanik	...	Un soldat (voice)

Also Known As:

Az idö urai (Hungary)
Herrscher der Zeit (West Germany)
Time Masters (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

France | Switzerland | West Germany | UK | Hungary

Language:

French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

South Korea:All

Company:

Télécip

Trivia:

UPDATE: As of 23/07/2008 an English language version of this film no-longer resides with the BBC.

Creative, Literate Sci-Fi

I do not know the first thing about animation, and in fact the only animation I have experience with is a few Disney movies and Saturday morning cartoons. Watching this quirky piece of animated science-fiction, I came to the realization that animation opens up an entirely new universe of possibilities for the genre. I have read many science fiction short stories and novels, wondering how they could possibly be translated into film, but using animation, the portrayal of complicated conceptual ideas from sci-fi novels seems much more possible than in traditional live-action. In fact, I'm tempted to say that science fiction and animation naturally complement one another.

This movie is like a funhouse of outrageous otherworldly ideas, one after the next. For a mere 80 minute running time, the filmmakers have packed an amazing amount of material here. If anything, the movie is actually too short, and it seems to gloss over a great deal of important plot points. It is almost like watching a drawing board conceptualization of a longer, more ambitious film, rather than the film itself. As such, character development is at a minimum here, as in the work of George Lucas. But also like Lucas' films, much of that is made up by the wealth of creativity. What is here is fantastic - a story filled with warmth and humor that can resonate with both children and reasoning adults. The startling elliptical ending is intriguing but abrupt. I recommend this for more adventurous filmgoers who want to try something unique.